April Wine Club
Celebrating all things Spring …
GIRARD MADOUX VIN DE SAVOIE
100% Jacquere
Don’t be afraid of this golden color, and take a moment to admire the slight sediment at the bottom (swirl it around). Fruity notes of pineapple, peach and lemon show on the nose, backed by floral and toasty hints as well. This follows through on the palate and additional overripe fruits pop up. Decent acidity balances out the imprint of subtle sweetness.
A true passion story, Jean-Charles Girard-Madoux was meant to make wine in Savoie. His family owned a winery for many years in the commune in Chignin, but the estate was sold in 1976. He went off to study winemaking and came back in 2006 to repurchase the vineyards once owned by his grandfather, thus founding his domaine. He has since received prestige and is considered a reference point for native varietals such as Jacquere and Mondeuse.
Clay-limestone slopes face southwest and support a gorgeous environment for Jacquere to grow. All harvested by hand to avoid any damage to the grapes, this fruit is selectively sorted in the vineyard before heading back to the winery.
Great to pair with the famous cheeses from the region of Savoie.
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MIKRON MALBEC
100% Malbec
A fresh take on Malbec – don’t judge it before you crack it! Fresh and fruity, luscious dark fruit pans out to balanced and simple structure.
From the producers themselves: Right in the middle of the hills of Luján de Cuyo, in the province of Mendoza, out of sight from the world, there is a winery where, Constantino and Silvina Krontiras, nested their love for wine. The sacred geometry of the location gently embraces the fruit of its biodynamic vineyards from which our wines are born, as a pure expression of terroir. “In our mystical environment, in the heart of Luján de Cuyo, nature and hand together, we make the most expressive wines of the terroir.”
Captivated by the great potential of Mendoza viticulture, Constantino Krontiras, of Greek origin, decided to carry out this endeavor, making his idea of making the highest quality wines a tribute to his wife, Silvinia, of Argentina, come true. For the project, Constantino Krontiras brought together his friend and renowned Greek winemaker Panos Zouboulis, who has more than 25 years of experience in winemaking in the old world. “While in Greece we make wines with indigenous strains ideal for each terroir, in Mendoza we have the optimal altitude and climate that, combined with the age of the vineyards, allows us to achieve the best expression of the Malbec strain”, assures Panos Zouboulis.
Organic, Biodynamic And Vegan
Breaking all the rules, this young Malbec does not age in oak barrels. It’s leaning towards the modern style of wines that are intended to be consumed cold, close to a white wine temperature. Try it!
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CLOS DE LUZ MASSAL CARMENERE
Carmenere, with a touch of Malbec
Deep purple, inky color that you can’t wait to guzzle. Expressive nose, fresh red fruit aromas, spicy notes such as black pepper and bitter chocolate. Balanced and elegant palate that offers velvety texture. Medium tannins with a round mid palate and a long finish.
From the family themselves: Clos de Luz is a family winery located in Almahue Valley, known as the birthplace of Carménère in Chile – Carménère represents 75% of the plantings. Gabriel Edwards currently runs his family domaine, after obtaining a Master in Wine Business in Burgundy and working for Undurraga, a large wine group in Chile, and Moët & Chandon. His sister Nieves represents the winery abroad. The estate, bought by their great grandfather in 1892, now spreads over 33 hectares of vineyards, planted in 1945 by their grandmother Luz. They are some of the oldest Carménère vineyards in Chile, and probably in the world. The grapes were being sold for more than 20 years to Casa Lapostolle, until Gabriel decided to return to Chile and make his own wine.
The domaine’s vineyards are 100% ungrafted. Because Chile is isolated from the phylloxera, they are planted “franc de pied”, giving a unique character to the wines. The vineyards are also 100% Massal selection from old vineyards – this consists in selecting good and healthy vines, and then propagating them from cuttings. This method preserves the natural diversity of the plants. Different plants have different characteristics: some of them have softer tannins, some of them have higher acidity, some of them have an early ripening, etc. Each of them contributes a different characteristic to the final blend and the result is a more complex wine. The vineyards are plowed by horses, as the twisted trunks of the old vines make it impossible to use a tractor. The grass is removed with shovels. During the winter, a combination of grass is planted between the rows. Oat to decompact the soil, vetches to fix the nitrogen, mustard to decompact the soil and control soil pest. After the winter, this entire organic layer is integrated to the soil.
The Massal 1945 wines strive to express the terroir of the Almahue Valley – located 70 miles South East of Santiago, 40 miles from the Pacific Ocean and 28 miles from the Andes Mountains. The vineyards are certified sustainable (organic practices), fruit is hand harvested with strict fruit selection, gentle extraction methods, fermentation with indifenous yeasts, and a judicious use of oak combine to preserve the fruit and create a wine of elegance and balance, with complexity and aging potential. The wines are not fined and they are vegan.
Pair with a gorgeous steak or lamb, grilled veggies. Break out the grill! Perhaps the first BBQ of the season?
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GRIS DE TOUL ROSE
70% Gamay, 30% Pinot Noir
Peachy hues tantalize your palate as minerality dances through the finish to balance it all out and leave you wanting more!
In 1971, Jean Lelièvre decided to change his family’s pattern of selling the estate’s grapes and to vinify himself. It was then that the domaine in Côtes de Toul was founded. Today, brothers Vincent and David Lelièvre operate the domaine, remaining passionately true to their family’s legacy (with the addition of organic practices).
A little history (from the importer): While the appellation only recently received official AOC status in 1998, the history of the region as a wine producing area goes back centuries. Vines were originally planted in the Moselle region of Gaul by the Romans. The vines were planted on the hillsides of the Moselle in the region’s alluvial clay-limestone soils. The vines flourished to over 50,000 hectares in the region by 1860. Unfortunately the fate of the region became unclear starting in 1870 when phyloxera plagued the region. This devastation followed by the French-German wars of 1870, 1914 and 1939, proved to be hard on vignerons and by 1951, there were only 30 hectares of vineyards left. Today the Lelièvre domaine grows in three of the appellations communes of production, Lucey, Bruley, and Blénod-lès-Toul, producing vin blanc, vin de gris, and vin rouge.
Lucey, Bruley Blénod les Toul and Buligny are made of well-drained clay and limestone slopes from the Jurassic age, allowing protection from wet winds. Harvest begins in early October, grapes are pressed individually right after, and then fermented with native yeast separately in stainless steel before blending just prior to bottling.
This bunny will go with any Easter or April brunch! Serve with a serious chill, bro.
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KURTATSCH SCHIAVA
100% Schiava
Complex aromas of raspberries, wild strawberries, cherries and redcurrants leads to an elegant, lean body that is gripping on the palate. Fine-grained tannins give the smooth fruitiness (typical for the variety) a long, hearty finish. SONNTALER: the classic one.
Cantina Kurtatsch is built on the slopes of Alto Adige where the low elevations see warmth ideal for important red wines and white varietals find their perfection on the high altitude sites. These grapes have a year round gorgeous view – so no wonder they’re delicious! Kurtatsch is run by a young team that prides themselves on producing wines that truly reflect the terroir they came from, in a sustainable manner, hence very distinct and precios wines of the region. Schiava SONNTALER is like the grandfather of them all, uniting their oldest vineyards between 60 and 90 years old…. AKA lower yields & higher quality. Not only is this a blend of the ages, there are multiple different types of Schiava in one bottle, including Schiava grigia.
Traditional aging in ageing in large Slavonian wooden barrels
Temperature controlled fermentation of the must in stainless steel tanks, malolactic fermentation and tradition ageing in large Slavonian oak barrels.
Schiava is one of the lightest varietals in the world, serve at a slight chill and enjoy with fish, chicken, or Southeast Asian cuisine.
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CHATEAU ADRIET BORDEAUX SUPERIEUR
85% Merlot, 15% Cabernet Sauvignon
Graphite minerality with notes of cherry, currants, and violets. Very lush and elegant, robust tannins seep with earth tones and cedar. A perfect wine to transition out of Winter!
This wine dense area is bursting with oodles of vineyards. A dentist turned vintner on the weekends (down time, anyone?) makes this charming, everyday drinker off of 10 hectares near Fronsac, France. The property was founded in 1850 and used to be Fronsac AOC before the government changed and adjusted the designation to bordeaux superieur. A calm, cool, and collected bordeaux that won’t knock you over the head the next morning (a must if you have this vintner’s schedule!).
Super food friendly, think long braised meats and vegetables.